No sunshine = Lack of Motivation?

i've heard of this before and i kind of have the same problem. i get really tired now when the sun goes down and i don't have energy to do ANYTHING. have you ever heard of those special lamps you can buy that give off specific lighting to mimic the sun? i have NO idea what they're called, but if you try googling something like that, you might get some hits. i know they're not super expensive, and they might be worth a shot. i don't really know what to suggest otherwise!

Honestly, I think you just have to make yourself. I get off work about 4, run some errands, get home around 5:30 or 6, eat and watch a 40 minute episode of TV. Once it's done, I get dressed and go to the gym. I feel great afterwards. I think when you don't want to go, or you're tired, you just have to keep telling yourself the reasons you want to go, and the benefits you'll get FROM going, i.e.; if you're tired, you will definitely feel more energized afterwards, and then you'll sleep GREAT once you get into bed... if you don't want to go, well, if you go, you'll feel accomplished and proud that you went and overcame your desire to NOT go, and just stay in bed. Plus... if you go to bed that early, you'll be waking up super early, and you probably won't have great restful sleep anyway.

It's called Seasonal Affective Disorder. (S.A.D. <go figure>)

I have it. I just want to cry and sleep lately. (mine is worse this year than it has been in a while)

They make sunlamps to help get extra UV rays in the months of shorter days.
If you have any questions, message me. I may be able to help.

10,000 IU of Vit D/day during the Winter and hit a tanning booth every week or so for 5-10 minutes. Works wonders.
Good luck and happy training!
E.

So I'm having a really, really hard time finding the motivation to work out and eat well this time of year. I’m working at my internship over my college winter break and work from 6am-3:30. By the time I get home, it gets dark about a half an hour later. =( I just want to sleep and never can get myself to go to the gym. I would drive straight to the gym after I leave work, but the only problem is that I commute into DC with my dad, so it's not possible. Any suggestions on how to beat the winter blues? I need to get out of this hibernation mode!!

can you take the metro home to a local station and have him pick you up?

Would this really help? (sorry not trying to hijack thread) I have eczema and k.p. And 5-10 minutes a week tanning, + vitamin d is supposed to help. I just don't want cancer! Lol. If this actually makes you feel better too then that's awesome.

5-10 mins a WEEK won't give you skin cancer. Wear clothing in the booth (tank top and boy shorts), so as not to expose more sensitive skin. There's been plenty of cases reportedly lately of people getting skin cancer on the back of their heels, etc because they don't apply sunscreen there.

I wonder though would this really have an effect on mood?

The guideline is 20 mins of casual sun exposure per day. That means walking in the sun fully clothed on a sunny day. Does once per week really help? I'm not sure...but I know you wont get CANCER if you use the booth the way I suggested

Yes to the vitamin D. No to the tanning. I used to tan for seasonal affectiveness disorder, but I feel it's not as beneficial. I'm not knocking anyone who tans, that's a personal decision, but I think for this issue vitamin D is more important.

Take at least 2,000 IU daily - most people are really deficient anyway!

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/dear-mark-sun-beds-skipping-breakfast-cooking-with-essential-oils-and-glycerol/#axzz1hBhKeMmA

I know what you mean...rain and darkness make me want to SLEEP! I remember how good I feel after each workout, as well as how I can eat more, and it makes me go!

10,000 IU of Vit D/day during the Winter and hit a tanning booth every week or so for 5-10 minutes. Works wonders.
Good luck and happy training!
E.

Vitamin D is a great idea, however I would suggest avoiding the tanning booth if you can get a sunlamp and use that instead. I purchased one on Amazon for something like $35 and have seen a dramatic change in my mood and energy. I have it on at my office every morning, probably for longer than is suggested several hours rather than 45-90 minutes, but it has seemed to work pretty darn well. I'm still exhausted by the time 10-11pm hits, but that is also about the time I should be going to sleep anyway since I wake up around 630-7am. I just have this weird issue where I want to stay up longer out of habit and to spend time with my fiance. The 5-10 minutes on a tanning booth daily would have a similar effect, but that gets expensive very quickly and the 5-10 minutes a week just isn't enough for many people who have a tendency towards Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Also, sunlamps work differently from the tanning booth. For one thing, they do not emit the UVA/B rays that are most detrimental to our skin and eyes, but only a very specific wavelength that is actually associated with what we perceive as light. What it does is have the same effect as being out every day in the sun by activating certain light receptors in the eyes that help to reset our biological clocks to know when it is morning and that alone can help with energy, feeling tired, unmotivated, restless sleep and a number of other symptoms associated with SAD and/or depression. It's not going to be an immediate effect, it takes several days to weeks for you to really start to notice any changes, but it does happen.

There's also the catch 22 of exercise being the best motivator for kicking yourself out the door to exercise, but you need to force yourself into the habit first in order to start wanting to go. A few people have already made the suggestion that takes the most work, which is literally forcing yourself out the door and going to the gym. If your gym offers classes, sign up or schedule yourself to go to some so that you have a reason to go besides just hitting the weights/treadmill. It also helps to change up your workout routine in general so that you have something to look forward to AND still manage to get into the habit of heading out the door.

Another solution is not to wait to go out to the gym, but to do things at home. Do pushups and situps during commercials, or maybe before dinner/bed. If that's too much, start with just stretching and seeing if just moving will get you going. Set rewards for yourself if you do so many reps or do something for so many minutes. Ask someone to help hold you accountable. There is the distinct possibility that after a week or two of doing that, you'll get bored or restless just doing things at home and will have greater motivation to go out and work at the gym.

Sorry for the long response. Good luck!

Although I do have the privilege of having to drive past my gym to get to my house, so I make myself stop and workout before I even go home, I also won't allow myself to sit down when I get home until everything I need to do is completed. I have a dog that should be walked everyday, so I know that I can't sit down until we go for a walk, and when I get back, I get right to work on what's next. It's not usually until after dinner has been made that I get to sit down. Sounds horrible, but it's the only thing that keeps me motivated because once I sit down, I am down for the count.

We evolved with the sun. A bit of sun is good. Lack of sun is bad. Winter is a time where as a primal being we would go and sleep in a cave and save our energy for the little daylight available to hunt. So naturally we don't take well to 16 hour days in December and January.
Use your own discretion balanced with logic and research with tanning booths. Moderation, as in most things, is the key. Don't take advice from me or anyone, other than always looking at both sides of the argument.

There is some VERY good empirical research that shows 10,000IU of D3/day is what most people ned to maintain a reasonable level. The people doing the research all take that volume. D3 doesn't even begin to look toxic until 40,000/day over time.

My personal experience is that SAD was wiped out within a week using Vit D 4000/day and I added 10 minutes in a good booth every week or two because it feels great. I started that 4 years ago and now do 4000/day in the summer and 10,000/day in the Winter. I never get sick. I train too hard at times and beat down my immune system but it doesn't matter; I never get sick.
I wake up at 05:00 feeling great, I run and I go to bed at 9PM. And chocolate/some other garbage remains my guilty pleasure, which doesn't help!

Again look at all the options.

Best wishes,
E.

I'm not sure about the weather in DC at this time of year, but it can't hurt to take a daily 20 minute walk at noon. Try to get 20 mins of casual sun exposure that way, even if the weather conditions arent perfect. I live in Seattle, and just relocated from Boston so I feel your pain. I try to get out for a 20 min walk, even though the sun hasn't peeked out from those clouds in weeks. Seems to help

I have S.A.D and I can highly recommend a S.A.D lamp, the one I have is 10,000 lux at 24 inches. It doesnt completely cure me but does help a great deal. Everyone knows when I forget to use it...tired, lethargic couldn't care less attitude.